Changing Attitude, Unchanging Heart
by Mr.GreyHoody
Summary: Ichigo and Rukia go their separate ways after the fall of Juha Bach. Will the separation put a strain on the 'relationship' they have. What happens when Ichigo's life gets turned upside down.


So….I haven't written anything in quite some time now, so please stay with me on this one. My old profile was Mystiiriousabnormality, but…due to the years since I've last been on this site, I forgot my password…and the email I used to set up the account. Haha. I don't quite think my writing is what it once was. Hell, I know it's not, but I'm gonna try anyways. Rated T for now, but who knows what the future will bring.

I don't own Bleach.

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki was walking down the street with a single companion. "Rukia, what do you think will happen now?"

The petite shinigami quirked a brow, "What do you mean by that?" she questioned.

"I mean, now that the quincy problem is taken care of, what will the soul society do?"

She noticed that he had a far off gaze, as if he were thinking so many things at once. She sighed, "I don't really know. I suppose everything will start to fall back into place like it used to. For the most part at least." She was waiting for a response, but none came. He continued to look ahead with that gaze. "But, I find it very unlikely that we won't run into an enemy that will try to destroy the soul society again. Not that I know of any such enemy, but I'm sure they're out there…somewhere."

They arrived at his house at which point Ichigo stopped and turned to her, "Well, Miss Kuchiki," he said in a jokingly mocking tone, "I suppose I'll see you again at some point."

She smiled, "Of course, if I don't swing by now and then, you can just as easily come and visit in the soul society."

Ichigo chuckled, "Maybe you should just come visit me, I still feel uneasy up there. And besides, I don't like all the attention."

She laughed, "What are you talking about, 'Ichigo the savior' 'The champion of soul society', you love those names. Even if your little scowl says otherwise." She said whilst poking his brow.

Ichigo sighed, "Yeah, whatever."

They stood in silence for a few moments. Rukia felt a bit awkward with Ichigo just staring at her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. "I'm gonna be pretty busy for the next few years with university. Maybe you can come visit on the weekends and we can take down some hollows together."

Rukia smiled softly, "Yeah, I'd like that."

Again, they stood in silence for a few moments. Rukia looked at her feet, unsure of what else to say. This was her best friend, even though they really hadn't known each other for all that long. She felt like she knew him completely, and him her. That was the best part. Even if she wouldn't admit it, she liked that someone could understand her as fully as Ichigo did. It made her feel good about herself. Rukia felt something around her and her eyes opened wide in surprise. Ichigo had given her a hug.

'Why's he doing this, we've never hugged before.' She thought to herself. But she didn't really care, she just smiled and hugged him back. It felt good to embrace him, almost like she was safe from all the worries of soul society. "I'll miss you." She said quietly.

Ichigo left the embrace and chuckled, "Whoa, what's with all this emotional stuff all of a sudden?"

Rukia flushed slightly and huffed, "What are you talking about idiot. You just hugged me, now you're giving me crap about being emotional. You're stupid." she spat.

Ichigo just continued chuckling, "Whatever you say midget." And with that, he was rewarded with a nice punch to the top of the head. The bickering and hitting of Ichigo continued for a few minutes. Once they settled down, both were laughing. "Well, I guess I'll see you in a few months then." She said, about ready to get back to the soul society.

Ichigo smiled softly, she could tell it was a forced one but she didn't think to ask what was wrong. "Yeah, a few months." And with that, they both said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

...

Six Months Later

Ichigo sat in his small room in his new apartment. It was the weekend and he really didn't know what to do with his time. Most of his friends were off doing something to do with their studies at university. However that was just an excuse, even if they were around, he'd probably just stay in and mope around anyway.

"A few months, huh?" he said out loud, "Yeah, right." He sighed, a long, deep sigh.

He hadn't seen her in more than a few months now and it was starting to irritate him. Was it really that hard to stop by and say hi, even if for just a few minutes? At that moment, he felt the appearance of a hollow.

"Well, I best get to it then." He stated to himself. He pulled out his badge and left his body draped over his bed. He didn't get the same thrill he used to get when fighting hollows. It felt the same as the name of the targets, hollow. Since his training with Division 0, he was able to feel the presence of even people who had no spiritual pressure if he focused hard enough. With that being said, he was taking a rather slow pace towards the hollow considering he felt no one in immediate danger.

He guessed that he was about five minutes away if he continued at his current pace. Just then, though, he felt a presence he hadn't been expecting. A shinigami had arrived, and not just any shinigami.

Ichigo smiled, "Well it's about time." He mumbled as he began flash stepping towards the familiar spiritual pressure and the hollow. He was maybe thirty seconds away when he suddenly felt the hollows presence disappear. Then, to his surprise, the familiar presence of the shinigami vanished also.

As he arrived on the scene where the hollow was only seconds ago, he stared at the ground, a deep scowl on his face. 'I see how it is…You come to slay a hollow, and even though I know you felt my spiritual pressure, you just disappear. Understood…Rukia.' He said angrily in his head.

The irritated young man made his way back to his apartment, trying to keep any thought of the petite shinigami out of his head. Once there, he plopped himself down on the couch. He only wanted to close his eyes for a moment, but sleep quickly overtook him.

"Ichigo." The young man thought he might have heard his name, but decided he would just make himself comfortable again and go back to sleep.

"ICHIGO! Open the door!" This time he knew he heard his name, along with a barrage of knocks on his door.

He groggily made his way to the door and opened it. Surprise overtook his features as he saw who was at his door, "Ishida, Orihime…What are you two doing here?" He questioned.

"We were just coming to say hi. We we're knocking for at least five minutes." Replied the quincy, slightly irritated.

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, "Oh, sorry about that. I must have been sleeping pretty heavily then." He ushered them into his apartment. "Do you want some tea or something?" he asked.

Ishida shook his head, "No, thank you though. How've you been?" he asked.

Ichigo smiled, although his two friends could clearly tell that he wasn't actually happy, "I'm fine, how about you guys?"

Orihime and Ishida had been dating for about two months now. He was glad for them, they seemed happy together. Ishida shook his head again, "Ichigo, we know Rukia was in town earlier." He stated.

They noticed Ichigo's features droop slightly, "Yeah, so what if she was?" he asked, trying to mask how upset he was about her 'visit'. Orihime and Ishida both sighed.

The quincy looked at his friend, "Well, aren't you happy about that?" he questioned, already knowing what had happened.

Ichigo scoffed, "Yeah. I'm ecstatic. The person I thought was my best friend, whom I haven't seen in half a year, showed up in town then took off before I even got a chance to see her. And I know for a fact that she sensed me coming."

Orihime looked at him with delicate eyes, "Well, I'm sure she would have liked to see you, Ichigo. She must have had a good reason."

Ichigo simply scoffed again, "Yeah. I'm sure she did."

After about an hour of conversation, mostly about things not related to the Soul Society, the couple left Ichigo's apartment. Ishida sighed, remembering the conversation he and Orihime had with the small shinigami only a few hours ago.

-  
Flashback  
-

Ishida and Orihime walked towards Rukias divisional barracks. The raven haired girl saw them from her office window and waved them over. Once all three of them were in the room, Rukia shut the door and asked them to sit.

"What's wrong Rukia?" questioned the red head, "You seemed upset when you contacted us."

Rukia looked at the ground, noticeably troubled, "Well. I went to Karakura Town to slay a hollow. I guess the normal shinigami was on leave or something, so Captain Ukitake asked me to do it in his stead. I just got back about twenty minutes ago."

"Yeah, I thought I felt you're spiritual pressure for a few seconds. What's the problem." Asked Ishida.

Rukia sighed, "Well, I haven't seen Ichigo in six months." She began in a hushed tone, "As soon as I arrived, I felt him coming my way and I panicked. I killed the hollow quickly and returned before he got to me."

Orihime quirked a brow, "You didn't want to see him?" she questioned, almost astonished. They had been so close.

Rukia shook her head, "I did. I really did want to see him." She mumbled.

"You're not making much sense Kuchiki-san." stated Ishida, trying to understand the shinigami.

Rukia sighed again and looked away from them, "Well, it's not easy."

Orihime chimed in, "Kuchiki-san, you two were so close, how could talking to him be hard?" she asked.

Rukia again shook her head, "It…It just is. Like I said, I haven't seen him in so long." She stated, trying to keep calm, "The Kuchiki elders want me to start seeing suitors. They want me to get married." She said, that last part quietly.

Ishida chuckled, "Okay. What's the big deal? What does that have to do with Kurosa…" he was cut off by a slight elbow to his side by Orihime.

The red head spoke up reassuringly, "I'm sure Kurosaki-kun would be happy to see you regardless of what news you bring."

"No. I can't see him." She seethed.

"Why not?"

Rukia was more upset than either of them had ever seen her, by far. "The elders have forbidden me from making any contact with him." She said, gripping her hakama tightly, "You must promise me that you will never tell him." She commanded.

Ishida and Orihime both looked down to their feet, "We promise…" they said in unison.

-  
End Flashback  
-

As the quincy and the red head were walking down the street, Orihime sighed, "I'm sorry Ichigo…"

...

A/N: Well, there it is. I know it's short, but I just needed to write something to hopefully kick start my mojo, as it were.

Sorry if it's boring so far, but I promise you it will get better, and the chapters will definitely be longer.


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